2012-13 College Football Bowl TV Ratings: BCS, SEC, Top the Charts

The Bowl Championship Series and games involving the Southeastern Conference earned the largest audiences during the 2012-13 bowl season.

As is always the case, the BCS National Championship Game earned the top audience of the bowl season [see chart]. Alabama’s blowout win over Notre Dame drew a 15.1 U.S. rating and 26.4 million viewers on ESPN, the largest audience for any bowl game in two years.

Rounding out the top five were two non-BCS bowls. The Texas A&M/Oklahoma Cotton Bowl ranked fourth with a 7.2 rating and 11.9 million viewers on FOX, while the Georgia/Nebraska Capital One Bowl scored a 6.6 and 11.0 million on ABC.

Of the top ten bowl games this season, nine were either BCS bowls or games that involved an SEC team.

The Oklahoma State/Purdue Heart of Dallas Bowl was the lowest rated and least-viewed game of the bowl season, earning a 0.5 U.S. rating and 943,000 viewers on ESPNU. In a close second was the Arizona State/Navy Fight Hunger Bowl, with a 0.7 and 1.1 million on ESPN2.

I suspect this article is incorrect in the following sense. I believe Notre Dame’s average weekly viewership over 13 games was higher than that of the most viewed game in each of the BCS Conferences. In other words, on average, Notre Dame outdrew the best game in every conference over the 13 game season. That is pretty remarkable.

James Montgomery

Similarly, over 13 games, Notre Dame outdrew Alabama, Texas, USC, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Stanford and Oregon. Notre Dame is the most watched college football team of 2013.

Dong Fuller

I laugh when Texas fan think they are the dallas cowboys of the US. So called America’s Team. Notre Dame is easily the most popular Football team in the country. When they are winning its off the charts. If the BCS game was close the ratings would have been huge but that game was over in the first 5 minutes of the game.